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Head Coach

Jim Rullo

The 2023-24 campaign will mark the 11th year Jim Rullo is at the helm of the men’s basketball program.

Through the 10 full seasons leading the program, Coach Rullo has established the Knights as a significant foe in the Atlantic Region. The teams have amassed an impressive 172-89 record which is the all-time record in wins at the university. During that same time period, the Knights have performed admirably with a post-season record of 20-9 record (.688).

In addition, his teams have distinguished themselves by:

  • Playing in eight post-season tournaments (3 NCAA + 5 ECAC)
  • Advancing to seven conference finals
  • Winning three conference championships
  • Eclipsing 20 wins on six occasions
  • Earning three berths to the NCAA Tournament
  • Making five trips to the ECAC Tournament
  • Advancing to three ECAC finals
  • Winning one ECAC championship
  • Atlantic East Coach of the Year (2021-22)
  • Producing:
  • 19 All-Conference selections
  • 2 Rookies of the Year
  • 2 Players of the Year
  • 4 Defensive Players of the Year
  • COSIDA Academic Player of the Year

Coming back to a regular playing season after COVID, Neumann went 21-8 overall and won the Atlantic East Championship to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

The 2017-2018 campaign saw the Knights compile a 23-9 record with trips to both the CSAC and ECAC Championship games. This marked the 5th consecutive year the program has reached the conference finals.

During the 2016-17 season, the Knights reached the historic 25 win mark with a 25-3 record. The win total was most in school history in a single season. The team also went 17-1 in conference play which is also a school record for number of conference wins in a season. Coach Rullo was named the CSAC Coach of the Year for the first time after leading the Knights to their first ever National Ranking and regular season title. The Knights claimed their second CSAC championship in three seasons and earned another trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Mirenda Center at Neumann University hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Knights lost a tough game to Nichols College (96-93) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  Coach Rullo also received Coach of the Year honors from the ECAC South, City of Basketball Love, and the Sam Cozen Small College Basketball Association. Coach Rullo led the Knights to the NCAA Statistics Champion in scoring margin with an average margin of 18.5 points per game.

In the 2015-2016 campaign, the Knights once again cracked the 20 win mark under Coach Rullo with a 22-8 record. The Knights once again found themselves in the CSAC Championship game for the third consecutive season under Rullo. Due to winning 18 of their last 21 contests, the Knights earned a berth in the ECAC South Championships were they went on the road to win tough games against Arcadia University and DeSales University.  In the ECAC Championship, the Knights defeated Swarthmore College (89-71) to claim the program’s first ever ECAC South Title.

In his second season (2014-2015) in Aston, the Knights captured the school’s first ever CSAC Championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament with a thrilling 93-92 overtime road win at Cabrini in the conference finals to dethrone the five-time champion. The Knights have established themselves as a premier defensive team by once again leading the conference in team defense by giving up a stingy 64 points per game. The 12-6 conference record afforded the team a bye in the first round and the ability to host the semi-final game on campus at the Mirenda Center. This marked the second consecutive year Rullo has led the program to the conference finals as well to the post-season.

In his first season (2013-14), Coach Rullo quickly instilled an attention to detail which resulted in the Knights leading the conference in team defense. The Knights compiled a 20-10 overall record with key road non-conference wins versus Oswego State, Rutgers Newark and Rowan University. The 20 wins marked the first time the men’s program had reached that milestone win total in over 12 years. The team also went 12-6 in regular season CSAC play. The Knights continued their momentum into the conference championships with a home win vs Keystone (80-73) as well as a road win at Gwynedd Mercy (95-78) while on their way to the CSAC Championship game. The Knights were then extended a berth to the ECAC South Championships where they once again worked their way to the Championship round which was the first time that was accomplished in school history.

Coach Rullo came to Neumann University from Malvern Preparatory School, where he was the head varsity basketball coach for 7 seasons and compiled a lofty record of 138-66 (.676 winning percentage). During that period, Rullo turned the Friars into one of most successful high school programs in the area. Malvern Prep enjoyed (4) seasons of 20+ wins and (2) additional campaigns with 19 wins during that stretch while arguably playing one of the toughest schedules in the area. In addition, the program won consecutive outright Inter-Academic Championships (2011 and 2012) which marked the first time in over 40 years that the school had accomplished that feat. The Friars were often seen on the year end rankings culminating in 2012 with the #2 spot by The Philadelphia Daily News and the #6 spot by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Under the tutelage of Coach Rullo, 7 players have gone on to further their education and play basketball at the Division I level (6 walk-ons) including Kevin Rafferty who won a 2016 National Championship with the Villanova Wildcats. In 2015, Coach Rullo was inducted into the Malvern Prep Hall of Fame.

Prior to Malvern Prep, Rullo spent a year as an assistant coach at his Alma Mater, Drexel University. He also spent two seasons at Hobart College where he was responsible for the recruiting class that went on to capture a conference title and the first NCAA berth in school history.

Coach Rullo played his college basketball at Drexel University, where he was a significant contributor on teams that it made it to the Conference Finals in 1992, 1993 and 1994. He is the single season record holder in free throw percentage (.883). He was named the team’s Most Improved Player in 1992.  He was twice named the “Dragon D - Defensive Player of the Year” (1993 and 1994). During the 1994 season, Rullo was also the team captain on a Drexel team that went 25-5 and won the North Atlantic Conference which garnered a berth in NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history. He was also a 2 year member of the baseball program at Drexel.

Coach Rullo serves as co-director of the Rullo Basketball Day Camps with his wife Maureen where they have quickly created a great atmosphere for both boys and girls (ages 7-15) of all levels to have fun and learn the game of basketball.  With more than 20 years of successful experience as a player, coach, and a solid evaluator, he has created and established the Elite One Day College Prospect Camp. These sessions are designed to place the high school players through a college style practice focusing in on intensity and the fundamentals, providing a classroom session to educate families on the recruiting process, and to ultimately assist the players map out a game plan.

Coach Rullo is the son of Jerry Rullo, who was a member of the first NBA championship team with the 1946 Philadelphia Warriors. His father also attended Temple University where he is a member of the Hall of Fame and was also inducted in the Temple Ring of Honor in February of 2019. In addition, his mother Eileen (formerly Rafferty) was a tremendous high school player in her own right and won 3 Philadelphia Catholic League basketball titles as a player at John Hallahan High School.

Rullo earned his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Drexel University in 1994. In addition he obtained a Masters in Organizational and Strategic Leadership from Neumann University in 2018. Rullo currently resides in Drexel Hill, PA with his wife Maureen (formerly Michaels) who is a 1,000 point scorer for the Drexel Lady Dragons. The couple are the proud parents of Molly (16) and Megan (14).